Sunday September 8, 2024
By Kate McCullough
Fifteen-year-old Khadra Ibrahim Edow, who arrived in Hamilton in July from Somalia via a refugee camp in Ethiopia, completes a literacy and numeracy assessment at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Welcome Centre on Tuesday morning. The young girl was helped by a translator Mohamud Siyad to complete her literacy assessment. She will be attending Bernie Custis Secondary School. Cathie Coward The Hamilton Spectator
Khadra Ibrahim Edow is eager for a “new beginning.” For the 15-year-old from Somalia, that means starting Grade 9 at Bernie Custis Secondary School in central Hamilton.
An unfamiliar country, language and school, yet she sits calmly, smiling, waiting for her appointment at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Welcome Centre, which aims to help students transition if they are new to the country, province or formal school system.
“I’m not nervous about anything,” the 15-year-old said in Somali, translated by an interpreter.”
Khadra, whose family arrived in Canada in July, more than a decade after fleeing a prolonged civil war in Somalia, aims “to be successful” in her studies, learn English and pursue higher education — all steps toward achieving her dream of becoming a doctor.
“I want to educate myself, then help the society I am in,” she said.
Around her, a hum of languages greets visitors to the Hill Park Learning Centre, a former school that houses public board programs like continuing education and English language classes.
“It’s music,” said Sandra Valeri, assistant principal of ESL and international student programming.
She and her team have welcomed hundreds of students in recent weeks — the busiest time of year — and will continue to help families settle in Hamilton until the end of June.
The school board-run centre, which runs from mid-August until the end of the school year, is a “starting point” for students and their families, assessing students’ academic and linguistic ability and gauging their interests, information that help educators support their learning.
“It’s a conversation with the family. Like, help us set up your student for success,” she said. “They really want to make sure there’s a seamless transition into school.”
Ffteen-year-old Khadra Ibrahim Edow, who arrived in Hamilton in July from Somalia via a refugee camp in Ethiopia, waits for her literacy assessment at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Welcome Centre on Tuesday morning. Cathie Coward The Hamilton Spectator
Since mid-August, 11 educators have worked full-time to assess more than 300 students’ literacy and numeracy skills to help place them in an appropriate classroom with the required supports.
The assessments also help educators understand students’ goals and dreams, as well as their hobbies and interests, Valeri said, adding that subjects like math and reading are only part of studenthood.
For some students, familiarity is a highlight of the first day of school. Reuniting with old friends. Waving to last year’s teacher. Sharpening pencils still dull from June.
But for others, it’s marked by unknowns.
Ayser and Amy Mohamed moved to Hamilton two weeks ago from Fredericton, N.B., where they lived for a year after moving from Dubai.
“It’s kind of exciting, but we have to make friends all over again,” said Amy, 13, who starts Grade 8 at Winona Elementary School in Stoney Creek on Wednesday.
The social element is also important to Ayser, 15, who said his friends get him through the school day. Fortunately, making friends has become second nature to the aspiring engineer who begins Grade 11 at Orchard Park Secondary School later this week.
Their mother, Halam Zaidi, said moving is a “tough decision” she has had to make as a parent who wants the best for her kids.
Moving schools can also be stressful for parents, she said, as each system has different requirements. There’s paperwork to fill out, high school credits to manage and assessments to ensure her kids are at the right level.
Zaidi said she’s grateful for an easy, “streamlined” process through the Welcome Centre.
“I know everything that needs to be done,” she said.
Once school starts, the centre retains just one full-time assessor and one part-time assessor to continue to receive families joining the board partway through the school year.
The Welcome Centre works with community partners, like YMCA settlement specialists, to support student and their families learn English, secure housing and find a job, among other things.
Last school year, nearly 1,500 students passed through the centre’s doors, one of the busiest in recent years. Syria, Afghanistan and Mexico typically top the list, but they’re starting to see more families coming from Spain, France, Nigeria and Brazil, Valeri said.
The last two years have been particularly busy, but it comes “in waves,” she said.
When there’s a global event, like a natural disaster, the Welcome Centre begins to prepare for what could result in an influx of students from a particular region.
“We are a microcosm of what’s happening in the world,” Valeri said.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s Welcome Centre provides materials for students at all different grade levels in many different languages. Cathie Coward The Hamilton Spectator
